Crews work on upgrading Quiet Cannon sign in Montebello

MONTEBELLO - Maintenance workers are weeks away from completing the installation of a new $375,000 sign which includes a digital LED billboard that overlooks the 60 Freeway.

The City Council late last year awarded a bid to an electric sign firm to repair and upgrade the aging and broken down Quiet Cannon electric sign, which advertises events at the city's golf course and banquet center at 901 Via San Clemente.

Workers began working on installing the state-of-the-art sign, situated off Via Campo, earlier this month. Officials expect the work to be complete within three to four weeks.

"We have a captive audience on the freeway," Councilman Bill Molinari said. "It's going to be a very attractive display on a major corridor."

The old sign, which is more than 20 years old and utilized incandescent light bulbs, has been out of commission for several months. The sign was limited to just text advertisement and was used to announce on-site events at the facilities.

It has been repaired numerous times and is costing more to repair than it's worth, creating a loss of revenues for the city, officials have said.

Molinari said that the upgrade could help secure additional revenues that could be generated by advertising the city's facilities, including the Montebello Municipal Golf Course, Hilton Hotel and the Quiet Cannon Banquet Center, which hosts numerous weddings.

"Now they can put a picture of a bridal couple on the screen, so it's really neat technology that allows for full-colored images that can be continuously changed with different images and wording," Molinari said. "It's something we think will have a major benefit on enhancing revenues in the city."

To finance the steep cost of the sign, the banquet facility's operator, Quiet Cannon Montebello, Inc., secured a five-year loan at a lower interest rate than would have been given to the city.

A portion of the rental fees that the company pays Montebello to lease the facility will be used to pay down the balance of the debt.

City officials have said that they planned on applying for energy efficient grants to help pay for the new LED sign, which is expected to use 70 percent less energy.